Croatia - A British woman was rescued Sunday after falling from a cruise ship and spending 10 hours in the Adriatic Sea at night, Croatia’s coast guard said. The ship was on its way to Venice, Italy.

Kay Longstaff, 46, was pulled from the Adriatic Sea on Sunday morning, having fallen from the back of the Norwegian Star as it sailed 60 miles off the Croatian coast on Saturday.

She said that she is "lucky to be alive" and thanked her "wonderful" rescuers as she was taken to a hospital in the Croatian town of Pula.

Rescuers said Ms Longstaff, believed to be a former Virgin Atlantic cabin crew member who now works on private planes, was exhausted but she had recovered by the time they took her ashore.

She fell from the Norwegian Star cruise ship, about 95 kilometers off Croatia’s coast shortly before midnight Saturday.

A Croatian rescue ship was scrambled and found her swimming Sunday morning not far from where she was believed to have fallen.

“I fell off the back of the Norwegian Star and I was in the water for 10 hours, so these wonderful guys rescued me,” she told Croatia’s state HRT television as the rescue ship arrived at a dock, without explaining how she fell overboard.

The ship’s captain, Lovro Oreskovic, said that she was exhausted.

“We were extremely happy for saving a human life, and we are pleased to advise that the guest was found alive and is currently in stable condition,” the statement said.